City centre chiefs have confirmed that the company is discussing with police and council officials whether it can ask the courts to impose ASBOs on protesters if it can be proved they are causing fear, harassment or distress to staff or shoppers.

Anyone breaching an order can be jailed for up to five years. Only the police, council or a registered social landlord can apply.

Operating

“The situation is on-going. A lot of what is happening is a great nuisance to the company, but a lot of it is quite lawful. I don’t think that the company would be able to get an ASBO imposed just because someone was protesting against something. “The key phrasing in the orders is ‘alarm, distress and harassment’.”

The pickets, who have been operating since November 2000, involve a number of groups, including Fight Racism! Fight Imperialism! and the Iraq Solidarity Campaign.

FRFI, which has organised 16 M&S pickets around the country, claims the company supports Israel, which it blames for the current bloody stand-off with the Palestinians.

It says the Manchester picket has been targeted by “anti-protest” groups which have tried to destroy banners.

Persecution

Police have confirmed they arrested a 33-year-old man on July 3 for allegedly ripping up posters.

Neither Marks & Spencer nor Manchester city council would comment on the situation.

Hussein al-Alak, chairman of the ISC in Manchester, said: “There is a feeling of persecution. It is unbelievable that one little protest is causing so much hoo-ha and so much scandal.”

Peter Rothery, a lawyer and member of the council’s Lib Dem opposition, said: “Anyone has a right to protest in a free society.

“It would be quite wrong to take an ASBO out in respect of people protesting a legitimate issue.”

ASBOs were introduced to make it easier for councils and police to curb anti-social behaviour, including racist abuse and neighbour nuisance.

"The United States is 4.6% of the worlds people but still controls 50% of the worlds wealth and has a military that spends more than every other country in the world combined. I see this moment, as a moment that is very dangerous.. which is to say that the United States is a declining world economic power, similarly a declining political power, but what isn't declining is the military power. As you know from the 20th century that's a dangerous combination - a declining economic and political power but an overwhelmingly dominant military power. I think the national security state that we've seen organised since 9-11 in an unbelievably rapid way, which owes in no small part to Israel I must say, is a particular [example]."